“It was a pretty lonely 20 minutes in the changing room,” recalls the former athlete. And while we deplore the thought of old Golden Balls being billy no mates for even a minute, let alone 20, he had just given Argentina’s Diego Simeone a teensy bit of a kick, so all’s fair in love and football. A poignant bit of storytelling directed by Scott Carthy, the film, Play Without Fear, is the first in a four-part series of long-form content titled Unfair Advantage, created by We Are Social Sport, promoting the release of the adidas Predator 20 boot. The series sees top stars from men’s and women’s football giving candid interviews about how they’ve turned obstacles and setbacks into motivational forces. In 1998, with the England team eliminated from the tournament and returning home red-faced, Becks’ red-card shame was a gruelling career low. Vilified by the press and public for months, he faced death threats and leading tabloid, The Mirror, even printed a dart board with his face on it. But the trauma matured him and spurred him on to work even harder. Against gripping footage, he recounts having to take a penalty shot against Argentina at the next World Cup, “everything flashed back to four years before. The atmosphere was intense; I knew I had to hit it true; hit it hard and hope for the best…” It's a thrilling tale of redemption – even when you know the ending!